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Contents
1Etymology
2History
2.1Ancient world
2.1.1Ancient objections
2.2Hellenistic Egypt
2.4Medieval world
2.4.1Hindu
2.4.2Islamic
2.4.3Europe
2.4.4Medieval objections
3.1Western
3.2Hindu
4Theological viewpoints
4.1Ancient
4.2Medieval
4.3Modern
5.1Demarcation
5.2Effectiveness
6Cultural impact
7See also
8Notes
9References
10Sources
11Further reading
12External links
Etymology
The word astrology comes from the early Latin word astrologia,[18] which
derives from the Greek ἀστρολογία—from ἄστρον astron("star")
and -λογία -logia, ("study of"—"account of the stars"). Astrologia later passed
into meaning 'star-divination' with astronomia used for the scientific term.[19]
History
Main article: History of astrology
The Zodiac Man a diagram of a human body and astrological symbols with instructions
explaining the importance of astrology from a medical perspective. From a
15th-century Welsh manuscript
Astrology has been dated to at least the 2nd millennium BCE, with roots
in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial
cycles as signs of divine communications.[4] A form of astrology was practised
in the first dynasty of Mesopotamia(1950–1651 BCE). Chinese astrology was
elaborated in the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BCE). Hellenistic astrology after
332 BCE mixed Babylonian astrology with Egyptian Decanic
astrology in Alexandria, creating horoscopic astrology. Alexander the
Great's conquest of Asia allowed astrology to spread to Ancient
Greece and Rome. In Rome, astrology was associated with 'Chaldean wisdom'.
After the conquest of Alexandria in the 7th century, astrology was taken up by
Islamic scholars, and Hellenistic texts were translated into Arabic and Persian.
In the 12th century, Arabic texts were imported to Europe and translated
into Latin. Major astronomers including Tycho Brahe, Johannes
Kepler and Galileo practised as court astrologers. Astrological references
appear in literature in the works of poets such as Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey
Chaucer, and of playwrights such as Christopher Marlowe and William
Shakespeare.
Ancient world
See also: Babylonian astrology
Scattered evidence suggests that the oldest known astrological references are
copies of texts made in the ancient world. The Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa is
thought to be compiled in Babylon around 1700 BCE.[24] A scroll
documenting an early use of electional astrology is doubtfully ascribed to the
reign of the Sumerian ruler Gudea of Lagash (c. 2144 – 2124 BCE). This
describes how the gods revealed to him in a dream the constellations that
would be most favourable for the planned construction of a
temple.[25] However, there is controversy about whether these were genuinely
recorded at the time or merely ascribed to ancient rulers by posterity. The
oldest undisputed evidence of the use of astrology as an integrated system of
knowledge is therefore attributed to the records of the first dynasty
of Mesopotamia (1950–1651 BCE). This astrology had some parallels
with Hellenistic Greek (western) astrology, including the zodiac, a norming
point near 9 degrees in Aries, the trine aspect, planetary exaltations, and the
dodekatemoria (the twelve divisions of 30 degrees each).[26] The Babylonians
viewed celestial events as possible signs rather than as causes of physical
events.[26]
The system of Chinese astrology was elaborated during the Zhou
dynasty (1046–256 BCE) and flourished during the Han Dynasty (2nd
century BCE to 2nd century CE), during which all the familiar elements of
traditional Chinese culture – the Yin-Yang philosophy, theory of the five
elements, Heaven and Earth, Confucian morality – were brought together to
formalise the philosophical principles of Chinese medicine and divination,
astrology and alchemy.[27]:3,4
Ancient objections
Cicero stated the twins objection (that with close birth times, personal
outcomes can be very different), later developed by Saint Augustine.[28] He
argued that since the other planets are much more distant from the earth
than the moon, they could have only very tiny influence compared to the
moon's.[29] He also argued that if astrology explains everything about a
person's fate, then it wrongly ignores the visible effect of inherited ability and
parenting, changes in health worked by medicine, or the effects of the weather
on people.[30]
Plotinus argued that since the fixed stars are much more distant than the
planets, it is laughable to imagine the planets' effect on human affairs should
depend on their position with respect to the zodiac. He also argues that the
interpretation of the moon's conjunction with a planet as good when the moon
is full, but bad when the moon is waning, is clearly wrong, as from the moon's
point of view, half of its surface is always in sunlight; and from the planet's
point of view, waning should be better, as then the planet sees some light from
the moon, but when the moon is full to us, it is dark, and therefore bad, on the
side facing the planet.[31]
Favorinus argued that it was absurd to imagine that stars and planets would
affect human bodies in the same way as they affect the tides,[32] and equally
absurd that small motions in the heavens cause large changes in people's
fates. Sextus Empiricus argued that it was absurd to link human attributes
with myths about the signs of the zodiac.[33] Carneades argued that belief in
fate denies free will and morality; that people born at different times can all
die in the same accident or battle; and that contrary to uniform influences
from the stars, tribes and cultures are all different.[34]
Hellenistic Egypt
Main article: Hellenistic astrology
1484 copy of first page of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, translated into Latin by Plato of Tivoli
In 525 BCE, Egypt was conquered by the Persians. The 1st century BCE
Egyptian Dendera Zodiac shares two signs – the Balance and the Scorpion –
with Mesopotamian astrology.[35]
The first definite reference to astrology in Rome comes from the orator Cato,
who in 160 BCE warned farm overseers against consulting with
Chaldeans,[43] who were described as Babylonian 'star-gazers'.[44] Among
both Greeks and Romans, Babylonia (also known as Chaldea) became so
identified with astrology that 'Chaldean wisdom'
became synonymouswith divination using planets and stars.[45] The
2nd-century Roman poet and satirist Juvenal complains about the pervasive
influence of Chaldeans, saying, "Still more trusted are the Chaldaeans; every
word uttered by the astrologer they will believe has come
from Hammon's fountain."[46]
The main texts upon which classical Indian astrology is based are early
medieval compilations, notably the Bṛ hat Parāśara Horāśāstra,
and Sārāvalī by Kalyāṇavarma. The Horāshastra is a composite work of 71
chapters, of which the first part (chapters 1–51) dates to the 7th to early 8th
centuries and the second part (chapters 52–71) to the later 8th century.
The Sārāvalī likewise dates to around 800 CE.[49] English translations of these
texts were published by N.N. Krishna Rau and V.B. Choudhari in 1963 and
1961, respectively.
Islamic
Main article: Astrology in medieval Islam